Going into yesterday’s match against Fulham, Aston Villa needed all three points to keep our Champions League hopes alive—and that’s exactly what we got. Unfortunately, we also got a performance that was a tough watch.
As a spectacle, the game was flat and forgettable. Neutrals would’ve switched off early; even I caught myself yawning at times. Villa showed glimpses of the quality that’s propelled us into Europe’s elite competition last season, but those moments were few and far between. Maybe our habit of slowing games down is starting to hurt us. Who knows?
Villa’s only goal came in the 12th minute, courtesy of one of the Premier League’s standout performers this season, Youri Tielemans. John McGinn whipped in a corner, and Tielemans met it brilliantly—powering his header past the Fulham keeper to give us what turned out to be the winning goal.
The opening ten minutes of the second half offered a bit of hope, with both teams playing at a higher tempo. But after that brief period, the game nosedived. Even when Harrison Reed came off around the 82nd minute, reducing Fulham to ten men, Villa couldn’t turn the screw. If anything, we looked like the side down to ten.
The lack of urgency and control late in the game was concerning. With a man advantage and a lead to protect, you’d expect us to assert ourselves. Instead, we dropped off and invited pressure. It’s a dangerous habit and one we can’t afford as the race for fourth heats up.
Still, three points are three points—and in a run-in like this, that’s all that really matters. Performances can stutter, but wins have to keep coming. UTV